I’ve been thinking a lot about this subject recently as I realized that the 80/20 of what I do for clients can fit into this category. Also, as my consulting strategy/ accountability partner says, it is an interesting paradox of strategy and execution which sums up what is essential for almost every client I meet.
Operations strategy doesn’t have to be complex. Actually most of the time, I help my clients develop an operations strategy that simplifies what they need to focus on in order to achieve their long term business strategy. For example, what’s most important in your industry or company? Is it customer loyalty? Lead times? R&D? And is your objective to provide a value to your middleman customer (if you have one)? Your end customer? Both? Can you do that while growing profitably? Have you thought about it?
Let’s say you have a strategy? Is it executable? Feasible? With current resources? Do you need to retain top talent? Hire new talent? Provide training? Experiences? Leverage ERP? How can you leverage existing assets?
There is a lot to think about in developing the optimal strategies – typically the best strategies are concise, simple, tie directly to your vision and are not created in a vacuum.